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Creators Try to Bring Web Fans
From On-Line to Mainstream

By

Vivienne WaltThe Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition

Updated Aug. 24, 1996 12:01 a.m. ET

Think about it:

A group of novelists, artists and screenwriters suddenly begin turning out a wealth of new projects, creating entire books or weekly episodes, some with sound tracks and a cast of attractive actors. They show their work publicly, and build up an audience. Within a month or two, fans stretching from New Delhi to New York begin offering thoughtful critiques of the characters and plot lines, and writing heartfelt suggestions about why the hero should quit his dead-end job or why the villain should marry her boyfriend.